Price-Cost Margins and Profit Rates in New Zealand Electricity Distribution Networks Since 1994: the Cost of Light Handed Regulation

From 1994 to 2003, New Zealands corporatized electricity lines networks operated with no industry regulator, but under the spotlight of mandatory information disclosure. As a result there exists a large body of detailed, audited and publicly available accounting data on the financial performance of these businesses. Using that data, this paper finds that price-cost margins have widened substantially since deregulation. We estimate the extent to which light-handed regulation has allowed profits to exceed the levels which would have been acceptable under the old rate-of-return regulatory framework, and find that the answer is about $200 million per year, on an ongoing basis.We thank colleagues at Victoria University, and two anonymous referees for this journal, for constructive comments on this paper. Any remaining errors are entirely our responsibility.JEL classification: D21; K23; L11; L43; L51     

构建和谐社会应当建立完善的利益均衡框架

中共十六届六中全会通过了《中共中央关于构建社会主义和谐社会若干重大问题的决定》,其中指出保障社会公平正义,必须要加强制度建设.从十六届四中全会中央提出了构建和谐社会的理念和目标到此次强调要通过制度建设来保障社会公平,这表明,我党不仅不断提高着对构建和谐社会的重视程度,更重要的是决心通过制度来解决现行社会中所存在的不平等现象,巩固我党执政基础、维护社会稳定.     

论三个级别价格歧视间的关系

本文尝试着从联合需求曲线中裂变出三个级别的价格歧视,以此揭示出其间的内在联系。个别需求曲线的加总构成了联合需求曲线,它是就每单位的消费择优录取所有消费者的保留价格,将其从高到低依次排列的,因而它既反映了“不同的人”——高端客户与低端客户的需求强度的差异,也反映了“不同的量”——高端需求与低端需求的需求强度的差异。只要能成功地将联合需求曲线按“量”与按“人”进行拆分,就可以在不同的子市场依照不同的需求价格弹性对高端客户与高端需求定高价、对低端客户与低端需求定低价。     

Uncertain lifetimes and the welfare enhancing properties of annuity markets and social security

This paper explores the implications of social security programs and annuity markets through which agents, who are characterized by different distributions of length of lifetime, share death-related risks. When annuity markets operate, a non-discriminatory social security program affects only the intragenerational allocation of resources. In the absence of private information regarding individual survival probabilities, such a program will lead to a non-optimal intragenerational allocation of resources. However, the presence of adverse selection considerations gives rise to a Pareto improving role for a mandatory non-discriminatory social security program.     

The “Iron Law of Paternalism” in Employee Grievances and Arbitration? A Comparison of Disciplinary and Nondisciplinary Cases

In the criminology literature, the iron law of paternalism suggests that women receive less serious sanctions in the judicial system. This examination of three years of grievance outcomes (n= 1216) and arbitration outcomes (n= 1146) tests this iron law in the context of organizational disciplinary and dispute resolutions. These data, across several levels of outcomes (win, lose, compromise), controlling for the severity of grievances (disciplinary/nondisciplinary) and arbitrations (termination/nontermination) provide no support for the paternalistic thesis. Moreover, we find no support for the paternalistic thesis with regard to either the incidence or length of suspensions as a function of gender.     

Price leadership in a duopoly with capacity constraints and product differentiation

This paper analyzes Stackelberg price leadership in a duopoly in which firms are capacity constrained and products are imperfect substitutes. Assuming symmetric substitutes, linear demand, and efficient rationing, we characterize the equilibria with an exogenously specified leader. Using the equilibrium profits derived from these games, we argue that over certain ranges of asymmetric capacities an endogenous price leader will emerge. When endogenous leadership does arise, it is the large capacity firm which is the leader. We thus provide a game theoretic model of dominant firm price leadership.Dave Furth's research has been undertaken as a part of the project Competition and Cooperation. Dan Kovenock has benefited from financial support from Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Krannert School of Management, and the Jay N. Ross Young Faculty Research Fellowship. We are grateful to Tom Faith for valuable research assistance. We have benefited from the comments of the editor, two anonymous referees, and participants at the European meetings of the Econometric Society in September 1989 and the North American Winter Meetings of the Econometric Society in December 1989.     

论可持续发展与科技税收政策

我国要实施可持续发展战略,必须制定一整套符合可持续发展要求的税收政策--可持续发展税收.科技税收政策是可持续发展税收政策的重要内容.文章分析了我国现行的鼓励科技发展的税收措施,通过比较与借鉴国外促进可持续发展的科技措施,提出了有关建立和完善我国科技税收政策的建议.     

我国的M1/M2(1978-2002):长期趋势、水平与周期波动

本对我国1978—2002年的M1／M2的长期趋势、水平和周期波动进行了研究，结果表明1978—1995年，中国的M1／M2呈急剧下降的态势，但是从1996至今则基本保持平稳。另外从国别比较来看，我国属于M1／M2比较高的国家(地区)之一，这表明我国的居民和企业由于支付制度、取款成本、规避税收等原因比美、日等国家的经济主体对M1的需求高很多。除开长期走势之外，中国的M1／M2还伴随着经济活动呈周期性的波动，实证分析结果表明1996年前的经济增长率是M1／M2周期波动的Granger原因，但1996年以后则必须由名义利率、通货膨胀率和股票市场交易量的变动才能说明M1／M2的波动。     

独立审计质量影响因素分析

独立审计服务质量的高低影响到其对投资者保护的有效程度,进而影响到社会公众投资者的信心和一国资本市场发展的成熟程度。如何有效地提高独立审计质量,历来成为政府监管部门、立法机关、公众投资者等利益相关者关注的焦点。提高独立审计质量的一个前提是,需要明确影响独立审计质量的主要因素有哪些。对此,国内外许多学者对此进行过研究,这些研究或者是规范角度的一般理论分析,或者是从实证检验角度进行。本文则从较少受到关注的审计师专业胜任能力、审计师工作强度以及审计收费三个角度,进行实际调查分析,考察这三个因素对独立审计质量的影…     

基于"综合谈判力"的企业所有权安排

现代企业理论打开了“企业”这一“黑箱”,为理解和创建现代企业制度提供了有力的理论支撑。本文通过对企业各要素所有者谈判力三个方面,即:签约人自身实力、签约人相互关系地位、签约外部环境的具体分析,阐释了各要素所有者对企业剩余的分享,并以此初步构建一个以企业要素所有者“综合谈判力”为基础的企业所有权安排分析框架。